Being the better man
by LobeIsAllYouNeed
Summary: Cuddy is getting married and House decides that he can't let this happen. Not good at summaries. Just something I wrote after 7x23 to get my frustrations out! Set somewhere in season 6. Huddy all the way!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, this is just something I wrote to get my frustrations out after 'Moving On'. It has been on my computer for a while now and today I decided to post it here. This is the first time I publish a Huddy story, so please be gentle and don't shoot me down to hard. I don't expect anyone to like it, but if you do, just let me know because I have some possible ways to continue this in my head. That is if you guys want me to. Allright, going to stop with the rambling now and let you read!**

**The story takes place before season 7. Even though it had it's good moments (HUDDY!) I decided to forget about how they destroyed the best ship ever.**

** Disclaimer: I don't own House! Wish I did though, cause then Huddy would still be going strong!**

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><p><span>~Being the better man~<span>

He was a wreck. Well, physically he had been a wreck for a while, ever since they had mangled up his leg. But what he was feeling now had nothing to do with his leg. It wasn't physical at all. His mind was reeling with thoughts, making him crazy. All thoughts about _her_, about how he would lose her forever tomorrow. The pain was agonizing, almost unbearable. Never had he felt any pain like this, not even when his leg was at its worst. But then, he had never imagined this would happen either.

Somehow, he had always been sure they would end up together. She was his and his only. Ever since that one night they had shared in college he had felt like this. It's like there was an unvisible connection between them. It had made them find each other again after all those years. He could still remember the day he had first seen her back after he left her in college as if it was yesterday. He still knew exactly what she was wearing, what she had said and especially how she had pretended like they hadn't any history at all while he was in her office trying to get a job after he had been fired for the fourth time in a couple of years. When he entered PPTH that day, he didn't know who the Dean of Medicine was. And if he had known, he would probably never even have tried to get a job there. After all, what was the chance that she would hire him after he had hurt her and left without any closure between them? But then she surprised him –something only she could do and would do many times after that day- and did hire him. It was the start of years of bantering and bickering filled with sexual tension that always left them frustrated afterwards. Both of them too stubborn to give in to their desires. He knew he wanted her, he even_ needed_ her, but he could never admit that. He would rather mask it with his snarky comments about her and her body. So he settled for their flirtatious conversations and pushed all his feelings to the back of his mind.

That went all fine, until that day he had hit rock bottom. That dreadful day he had hallucinated about her and had shouted it from the hospital balcony. It left his feelings about her in the open, and himself completely fallen apart. Those months that he spent in Mayfield afterwards, were the worst of his life. Even worse than everything his father had made him go through in his childhood. He wanted to forget about her, wanted to get better and continue his life without this unexplainable craving for her. But yet again he failed miserably. Even in that hellhole he kept thinking about her. How was she? How would she react now that she knew how he felt about her? Would she ever forgive him for the shouting escapade on the balcony? All these questions and many more kept popping up in his head and they didn't help him much to actually get better because he didn't know the answers to them. So when he finally got out of Mayfield he made himself a promise. He would try to finally do something with his feelings. The place hadn't changed him that much, but it had kind of made him a slightly better man and now he wanted to be that better man for Cuddy. He would try with everything he had to win her over and he was convinced it would work.

Well, that was until he found out about Lucas. In those months that he was gone she had started dating him. It had hurt him more than he could ever tell. How could she be with another guy when she knew what he was going through? So, against his better judgement, he kept telling himself that she had done it because she missed him, because she needed someone to fill the gap he had left and that it would end soon like all of her previous relationships had done. He imagined how she would react when he told her about his feelings, how they would finally get together and how he could possibly be happy again.

And now this was all scattered to pieces by the cold, harsh truth. Tomorrow she would become Ms. Douglas. The thought almost made him vomit. He had never had any intention of marrying her. Hell, he had never had any intention of marrying anyone. But he just couldn't bear the thought of her marrying any other guy, especially not that manchild that was the private investigator.

He knew he didn't deserve her, not after all what he had said and done to her. She deserved way better, she deserved to be happy. Even if it was not with him. At least, that's what he had decided when he found out about her engagement. He had decided that even though he couldn't be the better man with Cuddy, he just would be the better man for once in his live and let her have what she had always dreamed of: a white wedding and a possible family.

But then there still was a tiny voice nagging in the back of his head that he couldn't let this happen. That all this 'being a better guy' thing was crap. So he had spent this entire day contemplating on his couch with a bottle of scotch and with every sip of scotch he took this voice became louder. He wasn't so sure anymore of his decision and when the bottle was finally empty, he had changed his mind. House wasn't sure why, but he knew the amount of alcohol in his blood had something to do with this sudden changed decision. So after he had taken one last sip of his glass, he put it back on his coffee table, grabbed his keys and jacket and took off on his bike in the direction of her house. Knowing that what he was about to confess to her would change their relationship forever. He only hoped it would change for the better …

**So what do you think? TBC?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! So I've decided to continue this. First of all: Thanks to the people who reviewed this or put this on alert. I really appreciate it! For those of you who were waiting for House's confession, I'm afraid you will have to wait just a little longer. Yeah, sorry for that, but I felt like I had to show you guys Cuddy's side of the story first... I will try to update soon, but RL has been kind of a bitch lately so I can't promise anything!**

**That's it for now! Read and enjoy. Oh, and I do like reviews btw ;)!**

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><p>Cuddy found herself sitting in her couch staring at the wall of her living room. She didn't know how long she had been sitting there, and frankly, she didn't even care. She was way too busy trying to get her thoughts in order. After taking another sip of her -now cold- tea she started thinking over tomorrow's events again. It worried her that she had been doing this quite a lot lately. Especially since she wasn't feeling what she had always thought she would feel. Why didn't she feel excited or happy? Why didn't she look forward to the wedding? After all, it was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. At least, that was what she had always been told.<p>

Deep inside, she knew the answers. She had always known them. She was just too stubborn to admit it. There was only one thing that kept her from feeling like she was supposed to feel. Wait, scratch that. There was only one _person_ that kept her from feeling like she was supposed to feel. House, Dr. Gregory House to be precise…

She had always had a thing for him, from the first moment her eyes had locked with his baby blues. She had fallen from him that moment in the bookstore when he had said in his usual, kind of arrogant tone: 'you're overly ambitious, you have a chip on your shoulder and you know how to party.' Followed by his oh so famous smirk of course. Damn, how she loved that smirk. She had tracked him down afterwards and they had taken the same endocrinology class. But it wasn't until that particular party that she had found the nerve to actually talk to him. It had been the beginning of one of the most beautiful nights of her life. They had shared one passionate night, and it seemed like it had connected them forever. At least, that's how she felt about it.

As much as a dream the night had been, the morning after was a true nightmare. He had left her without a word and it had hurt her more than she could ever tell. So when she met him again all those years afterwards, her first instinct had been to yell at him and send him away. How could he have the nerve to ask her to employ him after he had broken her heart? But she knew that was history and that she couldn't let it affect her professional judgment. So she had decided to act like nothing had ever happened between them and as much as she wanted to not offer him the job, she just couldn't. That strange and unexplainable connection that she had felt back in Michigan was there again and she couldn't just ignore it. That's why she had hired him and even though he was an egoistic pain in the ass, she didn't regret it.

There were other things that she did regret though. She would always feel guilty about his leg. He had said her that he didn't blame her but she just kept feeling like it was part her fault. She felt like she was partly responsible for the fact that he was so miserable. She had seen him built the walls around him after Stacy had left him, how he shut everyone out, had trouble to trust anyone and became more miserable every day. Until that horrible day that his world had fallen apart in her office. When realization had hit him that it had all been a hallucination. She could still remember the look of utter desperation in his eyes. Never would she forgive herself that she had missed this, that she had not seen this breakdown coming.

His breakdown had almost led to a mini breakdown for her too. The mixture of guilt and the fact that she missed him while he wasn't at the hospital weren't exactly a good combination. And that's when Lucas came into the picture. He had been sweet and caring from the beginning and it was a welcome distraction for her when she had agreed to go out with him. But the best thing about him was how he was with Rachel. Because she was after all a mother now and she needed a guy she could count on every single day. House would never be that. At least, that's what she kept telling herself.

Sure she had feelings for House. The man was brilliant and sexy, not to mention his gorgeous eyes. How she always felt like she was drowning in those eyes when he was looking at her. But she also knew that he probably wasn't capable of a serious relationship. That it was almost certain that they would both end up with a broken heart and that it would ruin their friendship. He had said horrible things to her in the past and he had hurt her more than she could ever tell. He would surely end up doing that again. So why did she keep contemplating all of this? Why did she have the feeling that she was settling for second best?

Cuddy was shocked out of her reverie when she heard a noise outside. She turned her head to look outside her window and was met with the familiar gaze of House's ocean blue eyes.

When House arrived at her home, he got of his bike and limped up to her front door. He saw her sitting in her living room, cup of tea in her hand, staring at the wall. She seemed to be in deep thought. He lifted his cane and hesitated for a second. The drive over had sobered him up a bit and the boldness that came with the alcohol had flooded away. Then he laid eyes on her again. He knew that if he ever wanted to be with her he had to make his move now or else it would be too late. So after taking one last, deep breath, he knocked on her door.

The sound of wood-on-wood seemed to have shaken her out of her thoughts and she snapped her head in his direction. Their eyes met and it seemed like the time stood still when her grey orbs locked with his blues. They kept staring at each other for what felt like hours before she got up to open her door. He could see a look of total confusion spread across her face when the door swung open and she said:

'House…?'

**So yeah...TBC. Again: reviews are appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm back again! Sorry it took this long, but I had some real trouble to write this one! I'm still not happy about it, but it's the best I can do for now. I'm sorry that it's OOC some times, but I think 'Moving On' was OOC for House too. So if Shore can do that, why wouldn't I do the same? xD It also is a bit cheesy somtimes imo; blame my fluffy Huddy heart for that! Besides, I think we can all use some fluffy Huddy in these hard times. So, enough justifying for this chap now, just read, and let me know what you think about it pls! :)  
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**A/N2: I leave you guys with this extra long chap 'cause I don't know when I will be able to update again. I have to study right now because I have to retake 3 exams to pass my first year at uni. So that's more important right now than writing. Have to keep my priorities in order! But I do hope that I will be able to write some more for you in my free time! :)**

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><p><em>They kept staring at each other for what felt like hours before she got up to open her door. He could see a look of total confusion spread across her face when the door swung open and she said:<em>

_'House…?'_

'Cuddy…'

'What are you doing here?'

'Thought I would come crash your bachelorette party, but it seems that that's not really necessary since you're sitting here on your own staring at a wall.'

Damn, why did he have to deflect again? Why couldn't he just tell her the truth about his feelings? Sure she would be pissed off now and that was the last thing he needed.

'House'

'…'

'HOUSE!' He was brought out of his reverie by Cuddy's shouting.

'Huh?'

'Stop deflecting! ..Here? '

'I…uh…' Goddammit, why was this so hard?

'For god's sake, just spit it out already! I don't have all night!'

Cuddy was getting angry. Why did he have to show up now and what did he want?

'Really? Doesn't seem like you're that busy. Or do you need your beauty sleep for your fairy tale wedding with your boy toy tomorrow?' House just couldn't help it. He regretted it from the minute he let it slip out but it was already too late. Cuddy was about to slap the door in his face. Somehow he managed to put his cane between the door and prevent her from doing so.

Cuddy was getting tired of his games. She let out an exasperated sigh and said:

'What do you want House? Just say it or leave, I'm done playing your games.'

House knew this was his last chance. He had to be serious now and try his luck.

'I think we need to talk Cuddy.'

Cuddy's gaze softened when she saw the serious look on his face.

'Okay...Talk about what exactly House? Do you really think now is the best time to be doing this?'

'Well, it's certainly my last chance.' he mumbled.

'How do you mean? Last chance for what House?' Cuddy asked him really confused.

'I…This is hard for me Cuddy. You know better than anyone that I have trouble to open up to anyone. But I know that if I don't do it now, it will be too late.'

House took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. He could read the total confusion on her face. This was it, it was now or never, he thought. After one last, calming breath he continued:

'Cuddy, We've known each other for what? 20-some years? I can still remember the first time I saw you. You were different than all those other chicks 'cause you were the only one who didn't put up with my crap. You didn't adore me because I was the popular rebel. No, you were a lot more difficult to catch. Every time I tried to make a move on you, you turned me down. That intrigued me more than anything Cuddy, you were my first and biggest puzzle. When I finally succeeded in making a move on you, we shared a night that keeps chasing me in my dreams even up till today. I will never forget it Cuddy. That's when I knew I wanted you.'

Cuddy was shocked. House was actually opening up to her! But why now and what was his goal? She had to know more so she started to ask:

'House, why…' but before she could ask anything, she was cut off by House.

'Please let me finish this Cuddy.'

'Okay...'

'I've always been a jerk; my horrible childhood with my bastard father has a lot to do with that. But ever since my infarction I became a miserable jerk. I've pushed everyone away, most important Stacy. I was angry for months, didn't want to see anyone. Frankly, I just wished I was dead. But as everyone left me, there was one person who kept visiting me even if I yelled at her every time she came and said horrible things to her. You, together with Wilson, helped me to escape from the hole I dug myself into. I know you think I blame you for your input on the decision to go through with the surgery, but how could I blame the only one who stayed by my side through the whole thing? I guess you saved me in some way and I will always be thankful for that Cuddy. In fact, that's when I knew I needed you.

Yet, that's not all. You are always on my mind, Cuddy. So when my subconscious decided to go wild, due to my Vicodin abuse, it's no wonder I pictured I slept with you. When realization hit me in your office I was devastated. I wanted to forget about you Cuddy, 'cause I was sure you wouldn't want anything to do with me besides the normal employer-employee relationship we have. Not after all the horrible things I ever said and did to you. But the fact is I couldn't. Even in Mayfield, you were still on my mind every single minute of the day and you kept haunting my dreams at night. And that's when and how I realized that I love you Cuddy.'

There, he finally said it. Now he could only wait to see how she would react. He looked up to meet her gaze and saw her jaw drop, she looked utterly shocked. After what seemed like hours, Cuddy still hadn't said anything, which made House extremely uncomfortable. So he decided to take it even a step further and he went in for the kill.

He took a step forward and closed the distance between them. When she didn't do anything to move away from him, he bent his head and allowed his lips to touch hers. It was a soft and tender kiss. At first, Cuddy was frozen to the spot; she hadn't expected this at all. But after the first waves of shock had passed, she surrendered to the kiss, because it just felt so right. His lips felt so soft on hers and for once, Cuddy decided to follow her heart instead of her brain.

House moved his tongue over her bottom lip, silently asking permission to deepen the kiss, which Cuddy willingly granted. Soon their tongues were battling in a fierce dance of passion and House pushed Cuddy up against her front door. It was as if the contact with the wood brought her back to reality and the rational part of Cuddy's brain jumped in again. She pulled away from the kiss and looked up at him. She now saw confusion and hurt –because of her rejection- mirrored in his cerulean eyes. It felt really bad, knowing that she was the one who put those emotions there, but this shouldn't be happening, right?

'House…I'm sorry. I don't think I can do this.'

House felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach. Her rejection was more than he could handle. But before he could leave, he had to know for sure.

'Cuddy, are you really sure you're making the right decision? Are you 100% positive that you're not settling for a lesser option? I know this sounds arrogant, but all I want is for you to be happy. If that's with Lucas, then I'll accept that. I just have to know for sure.'

'I…I don't know House. I'm supposed to get married tomorrow and now you're here telling me the things I always wanted to hear from you and I don't know what to do anymore. Lucas is a great guy. He takes care of me and Rachel. I'm a mother House. So I have to take care, not only of myself but also of my little baby. I need someone who will always be there for us and I know for sure that I will always be able to count on him. That's something I can't be sure about if I'm with you. I don't even know if you are willing to accept Rachel. But the fact is that despite all these things and all the things you've done to me in the past, I do love you too House.'

This gave House a little bit of hope again. She did love him too! He now had to make sure that she understood that he was serious about this, that this was really what he wanted.

'I know I don't seem like a guy you can count on Cuddy. Most of the time I can barely take care of myself. But for you I am willing to do everything I can to be the man you need me to be for you AND Rachel. I know I keep saying that people don't change, but for you I am willing to throw away my principles and try with everything I have to change a bit and be the better guy. God, did that sound as cheesy as I think it did?' He could see a little smile tugging at her lips after that last remark and it gave him the confidence he needed to continue.'

As for Rachel, I know you think I don't care about her but that's not true Cuddy. Since I already spilled my heart out tonight, it won't hurt to confess another thing. At first, I kind of hated the kid.'

He saw her expression change. Now it was her time to seem hurt.

'But, that was just because I thought I would lose you to her. I know it sounds childish, but that's just the way I am, right?' He could see that small smile appearing at her lips again.

'Later I realized that being a mother doesn't need to mean that you can't be there for me anymore. And when I saw how happy she made you, I was happy too. I'm not saying I will be a perfect father figure for the kiddo. I don't even think I'm ready yet to think of myself as a father but I do want to spent time with her and get to know her if that means I can be with you.'

Cuddy could read the sincerity in his eyes and hear it in his voice. Here he was saying all the right things like she had always wanted. Who was she to reject him after that? He had just overcome his biggest fears and opened up his heart to her. That alone was huge for him and showed her everything she needed to know. This was what he really wanted. All he wanted to was to be with her.

When all of this hit her, she could feel the tears starting to form in her eyes. She tried her hardest but she couldn't prevent one from falling.

When he saw a tear slowly falling down, House cupped her cheek and wiped it away with his thumb. He couldn't help it; it was just too hard to see her crying.

The soft feeling of his fingers against her face made Cuddy realize that she still hadn't reacted to his latest confession. What was there left to decide? She would never feel for Lucas, what she had always felt for House. She just didn't think he would ever be able to do what he had just done. Maybe it was time for her to stop rationalizing about everything and just have faith? So she pushed herself up on her tiptoes and let her lips collide with his once more, hoping that a kiss would tell him more than she could ever say…

**So what did you think? Hit the review button and let me know! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm back people!I know it's been way to long, but school was really more important. I still have one exam left on monday but I wanted to give you guys another chapter because I'm leaving for New York (Yaaay! xD) soon after and I don't think I'll be able to write until I'm back. Also wanted to thank everyone who read this or put this on alert or to favorites. This really means a lot to me! Special thanks to everyone who reviewed, you guys rock! :D As for the story, I think I've already made it clear that I'm not a Luddy (I totally hated stupid Lucas!), so this will definately be Huddy all the way. But that doesn't mean everything is going to be sunshine and roses for them... Okay, enough with the rambling, gonna let you read now and remember, reviews are love ppl ;)**

**Disclaimer: Yh yh, I still don't own them, does anyone really doubt that? I could use the money though...  
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><p><span>Chapter 4<span>

House felt Cuddy's soft, sweet lips brushing against his once more. He felt all the emotions she tried to tell him, emotions she couldn't verbalize at the moment. As her tongue gently traced his lips, silently asking permission to enter, he could feel desire, happiness, longing, hope, fear and could it really be? It had to be. Overwhelming all the other emotions was the love with which Cuddy kissed him. He brought his hand to her neck and gently raked his fingers through her dark curls.

Cuddy was totally loosing herself in the kiss, trying to convey everything she felt for the man in front of her in it. After he had lent her permission she gently slipped her tongue in his mouth. Their tongues started a slow battle, trying to taste each other completely as if they would never have the opportunity again. It was then that Cuddy became aware of the taste of alcohol on House's tongue. How come she hadn't taste the alcohol in his first kiss? Maybe she was too surprised then, but now she couldn't neglect it. What if all his confessions just came fort of alcohol intoxication? Becoming slightly worried and angry, she broke the kiss and decided to confront him about it.

'House, have you been drinking?'

'Yes, but…'

'You are drunk? House, you come over here to tell me all these things and expect me to change my life for you while you're drunk?' Cuddy was becoming more aggravated with every sentence.

'Cuddy, I'm not drunk! I come here and practically open up my heart to you and the first real thing you can say is that I'm drunk? Way to jump to conclusions…' House scoffed.

'I should have known this was a mistake.' He also felt angry now. But more especially he felt hurt. He couldn't stay there any longer. House turned away before she could see the pain and tears in his eyes and started to limp away.

'House, wait.'

'Why? If you can't trust me I don't see any reason to stay here any longer and let you embarrass me some more Cuddy.'

'Just imagine you were in my place House! How would you react if I stood at your door the day before your wedding saying all these things and then find out that I've been drinking?' Tears were now also shining in Cuddy's eyes. Why did everything between them always have to be so complicated?

'I certainly wouldn't jump to conclusions, Cuddy. Have you considered the fact that, maybe I needed a drink to gather up the courage to tell you about my feelings? Have you any idea how hard this is for me? You can't expect me to be able to do this all by myself! I'm still adjusting Cuddy, still trying to make some changes. But you have to know that I have to take baby steps, I can't change who I am overnight. I've already made a lot of progression in Mayfield, but I've still a long way to go and I thought, no I hoped that maybe I could continue with you beside me. But obviously I was wrong. I'm not drunk Cuddy. You know I can handle my booze and I certainly wouldn't be saying all of these things if they weren't true. Drunk or not, that doesn't change how I feel about you. You shouldn't jump to conclusions that fast; you should at least give me the benefit of the doubt. Since you can't do that I'm afraid all of this was a big mistake. I'm sorry for wasting your time Cuddy, I hope Lucas will make you happy.'

Tears had now once again begun falling from her eyes. He was walking away once more. She couldn't let that happen, not after he had overcome all his fears for her tonight. Cuddy reached out and grabbed his arm trying to stop him and change his mind.

'House, please wait.'

'Let me go, Cuddy, please, it's not worth it.'

'Just listen to me House. If you still want to leave after that I won't stop you but please just listen to me first', Cuddy pleaded while tears kept streaming down her face.

With a deep sigh House turned around again and felt a pang in his heart when he saw the tears in her eyes. He hated to see her sad.

'Okay, I'll listen Cuddy, but then you'll have to let me leave.'

Cuddy nodded and said:

'I don't want you to leave House. You're right, I should trust you more. I'm this stupid control freak and always looking for excuses when I can't control a situation.'

'I'm glad you say that yourself' House smirked.

'House…' Cuddy looked at him with pleading eyes, begging him to shut up and let her continue.

'The fact is, you came here tonight and overcame all your fears. You were willing to risk everything for me and I'm a fool for doubting you. If there is anyone who should make changes it should be me. We both have issues House. It will never be easy between us, but I do hope that if we work on our problems together we can make it. '

'So you're saying you want to give us a chance?' House hesitatingly asked her, needing to hear her say it.

'Yes, I really thing we should try this, whatever it exactly is.'

'But, what about Lucas?'

'Well, I certainly am going to need to talk to him. I mean I've to tell him about us and we need to cancel the wedding…'

'Are you really sure about this Cuddy?'

'House, what's wrong with you?'

'What do you mean?'

'First you're trying everything to make me choose you and now that I've made my decision you're trying to change my mind again?'

'No,no, not at all. It's just a bit hard to believe, you know. I still don't know why you would willingly choose me. I mean, you are my last chance Cuddy. You are my only chance to find happiness. If I can't make it with you I'm not going to make it with anyone and that scares the hell out of me. Nobody puts up with my crap like you do. But you, you can have so much more. Don't take this wrong, I'm over the moon that you want to try being with me, I just find it a bit hard to believe.'

At this Cuddy just smiled.

'What are you grinning at?' House asked dumbfounded.

'I just find the thought that I can scare the great Gregory House as hell funny. But you are right; I am probably the only one who can put up with you. But like I said before, you're not the only one with issues House. Frankly, I'm not the easiest person either and when I'm with you I can be myself, I don't have to pretend to be someone else, I don't have to back down. You're probably the only one who can really put up with me too, so in a weird way I guess we totally deserve each other. And besides, now we will finally be able to act out on all that sexual tension when we bicker' Cuddy said with a wicked grin.

Now House started to smile too.

'God woman, enough with the confessions and foreplay. Will you kiss me already?' He smirked.

Cuddy chuckled and leaned in closer for the third time that night, determined to fully enjoy it this time. It was a kiss of promise and hope and when they separated in need for oxygen their eyes locked and they smiled at each other. House started to go in for another kiss, wanting more, needing to feel that this was really happening when Cuddy stopped him.

'House, in order to kiss you again or to do more than kiss you I really need to go and talk to Lucas first. I want my conscious clear before we take this any further.'

'I should have known that you're perverse sense of guilt would kick in anytime.' House whined.

Cuddy smirked and gave him a chaste peck on his lips before saying:

'I'm going to talk to him right away. I want this to be done.' Then she added with another wicked grin, which he totally loved:

'Wait for me House, I'll make it worth your while.' She winked at him, grabbed her purse and left after she gave him another kiss on his cheek.

'Are you leaving me here to freeze my balls of woman?'

'Go home, House, I'll come to your apartment when it's over.'

'Oh, a booty call huh?' He asked while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Cuddy just laughed and said: 'Go home House.'

And then she left. He watched her car disappear around the corner of the street before he walked back to his bike, with a visible spring in his step and a smirk plastered on his face while he thought about all the things he could do to Cuddy tonight.

**That's it for now! Next: Cuddy talks to Lucas, how will he react? That's for you to guess and for me to know! ;)**

**Also, how do you guys feel about smut? I've never written it before, but I do want to give it a try, that is of course if you want some Huddy smut. So hit that review button and let me know! :)  
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	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back already with a new chap! Even surprised myself with that. Want to thank all of you again for the awesome reviews and the alerts and favs! They really made me want to write some more before I leave. Not sure if I'll be able to write another chap before monday, but I'll try my best! For now it's confession time for Cuddy... Hope you'll enjoy it!  
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**A/N2: Someone asked about where Rachel is. She's with Arlene 'cause of the wedding and everything. Will be explained in next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly enough, they're still David Shore's...I'm just borrowing them.**

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><p><span>Chapter 5<span>

She couldn't help it. With each mile she got closer to Lucas' apartment she got more anxious. She was afraid of his reaction. He wouldn't get violent, that she knew, but she was pretty sure this would break his heart and even though she knew she was ultimately making the right choice, she didn't want to hurt him. So she braced herself for what was going to come while in the back of her head she kept replaying the events of the last hour.

Cuddy had literally pinched herself in the arm a couple of times to make sure she hadn't dreamed all of this. And each time she felt the pain caused by her pinching she couldn't help but smile a little. This was really happening. House of all people had come to her place and had so uncharacteristically opened up to her. It was real, _they_ were real.

While being extremely excited with the prospect of starting something with House, she was also slightly worried and apprehensive. Thing certainly won't be easy between them. And that's not only because she's his boss. They probably had the most dysfunctional relationship one has ever seen, and that's before they were even together. Both had hurt the other already too often. What if they would end up hurting each other once too often, to the point of no return? They were putting everything at stake now. This could screw up their friendship forever.

Yet, all of these thoughts didn't make Cuddy change her mind. They had to try this; had denied it themselves for way too long. She was done with that, she just needed to know if they could work out together.

Cuddy was kind of shocked to see that she had arrived at Lucas' place without consciously noticing. She had driven there on auto-pilot; all the while too busy thinking of what she would leave behind her and which future she was heading towards. Checking her appearance in the rear-view mirror, she took a deep breath trying to calm herself and thinking about how she should deliver Lucas the news. After one last, calming breath she exited her car and walked to his door. Gently knocking she waited for him to open it.

He had already been asleep; she could tell by his disheveled hair and the fact that he was standing there in his PJ's. He looked quite confused to see her stand there, and frankly, how could he not be?

'Lisa, is something wrong? Why are you here? I thought you insisted that we didn't see each other till the wedding tomorrow. Missed me too much?'

That last one was a joke. She could tell he added it to mask his worry. Allright she thought, this is it.

'Lucas, could I come in please?'

Still looking confused and worried, he wordlessly stepped aside and let her in. Turning around to face him and swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, Cuddy started:

'We really need to talk Lucas. I know this is going to sound crazy but I want to cancel the wedding.' She figured it was best to just get through it. No need to try and mask it, it wouldn't make it less heartbreaking for him she thought.

Lucas' jaw dropped and she was sure his eyes were about to pop out of his head. He just stood there for several minutes just staring at her in utter shock and disbelieve. When he finally seemed to have found his voice back, all he could mutter was:

'WHAT? Why…How…Lisa?'

'I'm sorry Lucas, but marrying you isn't the right step for me. You are truly a great guy, and believe me it hurts me to know that I'm hurting you, but I can't go through with this.'

'What made you change your mind? Are you sure you're not just getting cold feet? Lise, that's perfectly normal, you know. It's ok to have some doubts, but that doesn't mean we have to blow everything off' he pleaded with her while he moved closer and put a hand on her shoulder.

'This is not me getting cold feet Lucas. It's just that some things happened tonight that put everything in a different perspective for me.' Should she tell him those things were related to House? Probably not, it would only end up hurting him more she reasoned.

'What do you mean some things happened? What made you change your mind Lise? I thought we were doing great? Everything went so well between us. You make me happy, and I thought I made you happy too?'

'Things were going pretty good yes…'

'Then what's wrong Lise? Please tell me, 'cause I really have no clue here.' He was getting slightly aggravated, she could tell.

'It's just that I can't do this while I'm not fully in this like you are. I can't make this kind of commitment; it wouldn't be fair to you Lucas. You deserve someone who loves you with everything she has. I do care for you Lucas, but I will never love you the way you love me and I'm sorry for that. But I think it's better to be honest with each other now instead of when it's too late.'

'It's okay if you're not sure about your feelings Lise. I know you care and that's enough for me. Please don't do this to me Lisa' he pleaded.

'I'm so sorry Lucas, but I can't. It's just…' she trailed off.

'Just what? I don't get you Lise. Or wait…Can I ask you something?'

'Sure…'

'Does this, by all means, has anything to do with House?'

Cuddy was dumbfounded, how did he know? The look on her face must have told him the answer and now he was angry.

'Of course it does! I should have known he would keep haunting us! Well you can congratulate him; seems that his umpteenth try to break us up has succeeded! The son of a bitch! What did he do or say this time? Damn it, I really should have known!' He was fuming now and angrily pacing the room. She unconsciously took a step back before she spoke again.

'What do you mean I should have known?'

'Oh come on Lisa! Everyone who is more than five minutes around both of you guys can tell there is something between you. You could call it tension, chemistry, whatever but it's obviously something. I know you have a history together and I'll never understand the weird bond you guys have or why you keep putting up with him. I guess I was stupid to delude myself that you would ever be able to move on from him. Which doesn't change the fact that you're avoiding my question. What has he done this time? Why did you change your mind now, what's different from the other times?'

Cuddy was also shocked now. He had known? Was it that obvious that she had feelings for House?

'I…Well…He came to my place tonight and confessed some things to me that really overwhelmed me. Things of which I didn't thought he was capable of and now that I know he is I just need to know if he and I can work together.'

'You love him.' It wasn't a question. He was merely stating a fact.

'Yes, yes I do.'

'Of course you do! Well, that certainly explains a lot. How you keep defending him and putting up with all his crap. Now it all makes sense. Just know one thing Lise. He's an ass and that's not going to change. He's hurt you before and he'll do it again and know that I won't be around then anymore…'

'Lucas, just know that I'm really sorry for hurting you and…'

'Don't Lisa. Please don't make it worse. I'll come pick up my stuff later. Just go now please.' He held the door open for her while he begged her to leave. She could see the devastated look in his eyes and it really hurt her to know that she had put it there but it was the right choice. He deserved someone who truly loved him. Just before she left she turned around to face him one last time and cupped his cheek. Slowly stroking is she put a kiss on his other cheek and whispered:

'Goodbye Lucas.'

'Just don't, please Lise…' A tear escaped his eyes and she couldn't stay there any longer.

'I'm sorry…' and with that she took of her engagement ring, gently put it in his hand and left without looking back, afraid to see the look of hurt on his face again. Back in the safety of her car she let a few tears escape. She might not love the man, but she did care for him so this was kind of hard for her. She had made the right choice though, she told herself and decided to try and stop dwelling over it. It was time to move forward. She started her car and left towards House, towards the future, _their_ future. A small smile formed on her lips with that last thought while she wiped the last tears away and headed off in the night.

**That's it for now! Thank you for reading and let me know what you think about it! :) Up next is a Huddy chap in House's appartment. See it as my excuse for total lack of Huddy in this one! (It just didn't fit in imo)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm back! I know it took way too long but RL has been really busy with travelling and new college year starting. To make it up to you guys I give you the longest chapter so far AND some Huddy luvvin! Yep, the rating has officially changed! ;) If you don't like that you can just skip the part between lines at the end of this chappie. I was so nervous about writing this, I really hope you guys like it. Constructive feedback would be really appreciated. Also thanks again to all my readers, reviewers and alerts or faves. Nothing that makes a writer happier :). So that's it, just R&R people!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine, would love to posses Hugh though...**

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><p><span>Chapter 6<span>

House was sitting on his couch, unconsciously fumbling with the buttons on the sleeve of his shirt. He was anxiously awaiting Cuddy, hoping that everything would go well with Lucas. He didn't care if he would be devastated by the cancelled wedding. House had once considered Lucas almost as a friend, but since he had 'stolen' Cuddy from him and played those stupid pranks on him and Wilson he had conversed to slightly hating the guy. No, he only hoped Cuddy would be ok when she arrived.

House also had to chastise himself every time he started doubting if she even would come over. Everything still felt so surreal for him. She had actually chosen him, she loved him. He still couldn't believe it. After all he had done to her, the countless times he had hurt her and thought he had ruined their friendship; she still kept forgiving him. They had a very weird bond, something no outsider could comprehend. Most of the time they even didn't get it.

It's going to be hard, that he knew. Not only was he an ass and did he always hide his emotions for everyone else; on top of that they also worked together. She was his boss and he knew the board already gave her a hard time because they thought she gave him preferential treatment, what would they do now that they were together?

Nevertheless, these things were not going to stop him. He finally had what he wanted now and he was determined not to screw it up. He would try with everything he had to keep Cuddy his, hoping that it was enough. Forcing himself to stop worrying House thought about what would happen when she arrived. A faint smile appeared on his lips again just as he heard a knock on his door. He got up and limped anxiously towards the door to open it.

'Hi', she said when their eyes locked.

'Hi yourself', House answered. 'Come in.' He stepped aside and made room for her to walk in to his apartment.

'So…' Why did he suddenly feel so uncomfortable? _Come on House, you've know her for 20 or more years, no need to feel like a shy teenage boy now. Ask her to sit down, if she wants a drink. Just man up!_ , his brain was screaming at him. He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her. She too seemed to be nervous.

'You wanna have a seat? My couch is quite comfy, you know', he said with a smile.

This seemed to relax Cuddy a bit and she smiled at him, nodding before she moved to sit down.

'Want a drink perhaps?'

Again she just nodded. 'Some water please.'

'Sure you want nothing stronger after what just happened?'

'Do you want to get me drunk House?' She asked him with a playful glimmer in her eyes.

'Now that doesn't sound like me, does it?' He smirked back. _Good, seems like the uneasiness has faded a bit. _'Just water then?'

'Just water.'

He limped to his kitchen to get her a glass while she made herself comfortable on the couch. When he got back their eyes locked again and he thought he could see the faint traces of tears on her face. This made him worry. Maybe Lucas had done something to harm her? He had to find out.

'So how did it go?' he asked.

'Well, almost as good as something like this could go I guess. He was pretty devastated when I told him and he got angry when he discovered you had something to do with it…'

'Did you tell him about me?', House asked incredulously.

'No, I thought it would be hard enough for him as it was. Apparently he deduced it himself. He said something about it being obvious that there's something between us that goes further than just friendship. And that he should have known this would happen. It got him a bit worked up.'

'He didn't hurt you, did he?'

'No! Of course not. But it's just… I did not love him, but I care for him and it's never easy hurting someone you care for.' She sighed. 'Do we really have to talk about this now House? It's done, I'm here now and I prefer not to dwell on it anymore.'

'Sure, no problem. You want to talk some more? I know that's important for you; you know being open to each other and stuff like that?' he mumbled and added a sigh to it dreading another conversation full of emotional stuff.

'I think you've opened up enough to me tonight. We've done more than enough talking for now. Tonight I just want to be with you, nothing else.' She saw him visibly relaxing after that last statement.

He smiled and opened up his arms for her to settle next to him on the couch. She smiled back at him while she made herself comfortable. Suddenly something came up in his mind.

'What about Rachel? You say you want to be with me tonight, but what about her then?'

Cuddy smiled, surprised that he had thought about her daughter. Maybe he did care more then he let on?

'Rachel's fine. We agreed she would go to my mom the night before the wedding so I could fully prepare myself.'

'Well, that comes in handy,' he said while smiling suggestively at her. 'Are you sure she's fine though if she's with your mom? From what I remember about her I don't know if I would leave my daughter with that woman.' he added thoughtfully while making a face at the thought of Arlene Cuddy. He had met her once in college and he had never forgotten her. She was quite a character that mother Cuddy! He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a slap on his chest. Looking down at Cuddy he exclaimed:

'Ow, what was that good for woman?'

'You insulted my mother. I know she's by far not the easiest person, but she takes good care of Rachel. Which reminds me, I should probably call her to tell what happened. She could inform the guests and the caterers and everyone about the cancellation. I could also ask her if she wants to take care of Rachel tomorrow too, so we would have the day for ourselves. I don't think I could handle to explain everything to everyone. If that's ok with you of course?'

'Are you kidding? Of course that's fine for me! No go ahead and call, so we can get on with the fun stuff.' House said while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Cuddy just rolled her eyes and took out her cellphone, while retreating to the kitchen.

House waited patiently for her to end the conversation with her mother. From what he could her she wasn't giving Cuddy to much trouble. Although, his name hadn't fallen yet.

'No mom, it's just that something happened tonight. Something that kind of changed everything. House showed up at my place and confessed some things that made me see everything in a different light. I'm with him now and we agreed to try and make things work between us.'

There it was. She mentioned him. He unconsciously turned his head in the direction of the kitchen to try to catch some more of the conversation. It seemed like mother Cuddy didn't really approve this sudden change in her daughter's taste in man because Cuddy was getting slightly aggravated.

'Yes mom, that's him…I know mom, but…You know what mom? That's really none of your business. I just wanted to ask you if you could inform everyone that the wedding is off and if you would mind taking care of Rachel tomorrow. Ok, thank you mom. I'll call you back tomorrow. Bye.'

And with that she ended the call and came back to the living room.

'Mom doesn't really like me, huh?'

'Well, she does remember you from when she met you in college and let's just say you didn't really make a good impression. And I think the fact that me complaining to her about you giving me a hard time at work all these years hasn't really helped either.'

House just smirked. She wasn't upset; he could see it in her eyes.

'Anyway, she agreed to take care of everything, so we don't have to worry about anything till tomorrow.'

'Perfect. Now let's move on to the important things. She really isn't the one I want to focus on right now.'

'Then who is?' she asked him teasingly.

'Well, there's this smoking hot Dean of Medicine whose been trying to lure me in for a while now' he said smirking.

'Huh, I bet she's nothing compared to me' she answered with mock hurt.

'So sure of ourselves, aren't we?'

'Well, I have a lot to offer...' she said seductively adding a wink for effect.

'Dr. Cuddy!' he exclaimed, 'if you keep that up I'll have to sue you for sexual harassment!'

'If I remember well, it's not harassment when both parties want it.'

At that he smiled and they locked eyes again. He slowly reached his right hand to her face and traced her jaw line with his fingers before he moved them over her upper lip. His hand left a trail of goose bumps in its past and she shivered from his delicate, yet firm touch. She felt completely at his mercy.

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><p>Then he moved his hands to her waist and circled it while drawing her closer to him. He returned his gaze to her eyes and looked expectantly while running his hands up and down her sides. He could see the desire burning in her grey orbs before she closed them and sighed relishing in the feeling of his hands on her body. He took the time to let his eyes roam all over her body. From her long, well-toned legs, over her firm breasts – who were pressing against the material of her silk top- to her long, supple neck and soft, slightly parted, red lips, ending at her amazing grey eyes who were watching him just as intently as he was watching her. Just looking at her like that and knowing she was his now was almost too much.<p>

His gorgeous blue eyes looked questioningly at her, as if to make sure she was still fine with this, but underneath that she found a much deeper pool of raw longing, desire and lust that made her inhale audibly. She smiled as she saw him lean in closer and closed her eyes before she felt his lips pressing delicately on hers.

He kissed her gently, just barely touching her lips. Then he kissed her again, with more pressure now. He ran his tongue across her lips, silently asking permission to go on. She answered him by slightly parting her lips. Instantly House slipped his tongue between them. The way her tongue touched his lips and ran over his teeth, the way her lips played with his; he felt himself getting more aroused than he had ever been with any other woman.

She whimpered slightly when he broke apart, already missing the feeling of his lips on hers. But then he started putting his talented mouth to great use on the skin of her neck and all she could do was close her eyes and sigh in satisfaction. He nibbled at the sensitive flesh and soothed it by pressing wet, feather light kisses on her neck.

Cuddy was stroking his chest up and down before she started working on the buttons of his shirt while House was working his magic on the pulse point of her neck. House moved his hands under her shirt and let them move to her waist. She felt them slowly gliding upwards to the swell of her breast, only to let his fingertips touch it briefly though, before going down again past her waist to her hips and to her back. He took the hem of her top in his hands and moved it over her head. It made her moan in anticipation and she redid the favor by pushing his shirt of his shoulders.

House cupped her breast and started to knead it through the material of her black, lacy bra. If it was possible, he would say that he was already addicted to the feeling of her soft, smooth skin under his hands. While slowly stroking circles around it he felt her nipple harden. Wanting and needing to feel more of her, he moved his other hand to her back and deftly unhooked her bra, letting it slide of her shoulders before throwing it on the floor.

He took one second to look at her, standing half naked in front of him. She was just gorgeous and he could feel his jeans tighten. She smiled when she saw the look of awe on his face and moved closer to kiss him again, passionately. His lips left her hot mouth and made their way to her breast in a trail of kisses. He kissed her right breast lightly, while keeping his left hand occupied with the other. He took her nipple in his mouth and could hear her moan in appreciation. He let his tongue play with the hardened bud before he gently bit down on it, causing her to gasp above his head.

She moved her hand through his hair, keeping his head close to her and stroked his muscled back slowly up and down. Not wanting to leave her other breast feel left out, he started to give it the same treatment. Cupping it, fingering her nipple, sucking and nibbling, while hearing her moan and sigh and gasp above his head. Her eyes were closed and she had her head slightly tilted backwards exposing the soft flesh of her neck. After a while he trailed his open mouth over her stomach, kissing and sucking, all the while blowing his hot breath on her skin. The closer he came to her promised land the more erratic her breathing came. She shuddered when he encircled her waist and stroked her abdomen before opening the button of her pants and unzipping it. He pulled them down and then stood up again.

'Let's move this to my bedroom' he said while watching her standing before him with nothing more than her matching lace panties covering her body. She smiled as he took her hand in his and led the way. He gently pushed her down on the mattress and took her lips in his once more.

While he made his way down again, Cuddy moved her hands from House's back to the front of his jeans, feeling the bulge there and stroking it slowly through the material of his pants. She smiled slightly when she heard him groan and started to unbuckle his belt. He quickly pushed of his socks and shoes while she unzipped and lowered his pants. He gasped when her slender fingers pushed the zipper over his straining erection. He really didn't want to rush their first time after all these years as if he was some horny teenager, but he certainly felt that way.

Trying to keep himself distracted he moved his hand over her panties, feeling them getting wetter with every passing second. He slipped his hand into them and felt the heath pooling between her legs as he kept ravishing her neck with bites and kisses. 'Fuck, Cuddy' he groaned when she returned the favor by starting to slowly stroke his hard member. She started to pant when he softly started stroking over her wet, slick folds. He stroked a little harder and circled her clit with his thumb. She put her hands around his neck and brought him closer to her, her nipples pushing against his chest. He pushed one finger inside her wet folds and while gently pumping her he kept rubbing his thumb against her clit. She arched her back when he inserted a second finger and a small whimper escaped her lips.

'God, House.'

She started to pick up her pace, massaging the base of his cock and working her way up, dragging her fingernails along his length. He hissed when she ran her thumb over the top of his throbbing shaft.

Both of them couldn't take it any longer, they needed to be inside each other. House withdrew his fingers and pulled her panties down, while she made work of freeing him from his boxers. She spread her legs and he positioned himself between them, supporting himself on his elbows. His throbbing member was lightly teasing her wet entrance causing them both to moan. He quickly kissed her once more before he looked her in the eyes and slowly, inch by delicious inch, entered her. They gasped and he kept still for a moment, letting her adjust to his size. House was a large man, in every sense of the word.

When she was ready, Cuddy started to move her hips causing a building friction between them. Every time her hips would go up, he would thrust down. His hands skimmed across her stomach, breasts, waist and ass while she ran her fingers and nails over his back. They gasped and moaned while their rhythm became faster and faster. They leaned in for another kiss their tongues starting once again a battle for dominance. House bit at her bottom lip, soothing it by running his tongue across her lower lip, savoring her taste. He shuddered as her hands moved down to his lower back, pulling him closer to her and angling him so that he was pushing himself closer to her core. All the while hitting that spot that drove her crazy.

He could feel she was getting close when her walls started to tighten around him and her breathing became ragged. He moved his hand between their bodies to put pressure on her swollen clit. Cuddy felt her heart racing in her chest before she was pushed over the edge. Her entire body trembling while experiencing an earth shaking orgasm, she cried out:

'Oh God, fuck House!'

Seeing her withering underneath him, a slight film of sweat on her forehead, eyes closed and lips ajar was all it took for him to tumble over the edge screaming her name over and over again. She intertwined their hands as he came inside of her and collapsed on top of her. Both panting and trying to catch their breath, he moved his hand to cup her cheek and looked into her gorgeous eyes.

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><p>'…Wow' he said in between short breaths.<p>

'Uhu.' was all she could manage to reply.

Having recovered a bit, House rolled off her and drew her in his arms. She smiled when he kissed the top of her head and started to rake his fingers through her soft curls. She laid her head on his chest and moved her hand over his heart. House reached over to pull up the covers while she asked:

'Why have we waited so long to do this again?'

'I have no idea, but we're idiots.'

This made her laugh. Her throaty laugh, which he rarely heard but loved so much. She pushed herself up on her elbow and leaned in for another kiss. After they separated she said:

'Goodnight House.'

'Goodnight Cuddles' he answered and kissed the top of her head once more before closing his eyes and drawing her close to his body, his arms places securely around her. Sighing happily, feeling safe in his strong arms Cuddy closed her eyes too and fell into a peaceful sleep.

**So that's it! Like it, hate it? Just let me know! One of the next chappies is going to have some drama in it, so hold on! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm so sorry it's been over a month since my last update! RL kinda kept me busy, but I'm not gonna bore you with the details. ****I just leave you this chapter and I promise the next one will be up sooner! Read & enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own.**

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><p><span>Chapter 7<span>

The early rays of sunshine made their way through the window of the bedroom and casted their light on the 2 figures, entangled in each other, on the bed. He was the first one to stir, awoken by the soft glow of the sun and the weight of a body pressed closely to his. He slowly cracked one eye open, to be greeted by the most beautiful thing he had ever awoken to.

She lay half next to him, half on top of him. Her dark, raven curls were splayed all over his chest and she had the tiniest of smiles on her angelic face. He couldn't get his eyes of her. If he could, he would spent the rest of his life just watching her like this. While he was totally enthralled by her sleeping figure, she too started to stir, awaken by the feeling of a pair of eyes on her.

"Stop staring at me." she mumbled, eyes still closed and the faintest trace of a smirk on her lips.

"Well, good morning to you too, sunshine! A bit grumpy, aren't we? Did someone wear you out last night?" he smirked back.

Laughing softly Cuddy slowly opened her eyes to find his baby blues staring right back at her, sparkling.

"Good morning. A bit full of ourselves aren't we?" she shot back at him, never breaking the eye contact.

"Hey I can't help it that I'm a stud!" House teased her a bit more, fully enjoying their playful banter.

She rolled her eyes at that, but wasn't planning on backing down. She too was enjoying their little game far too much for that. "Maybe I should leave. You know, to make room for your ego before it threatens to suffocate us."

"Ouch, words can hurt you know!" he whined with a mock-hurt tone, but failed to hide the sparkling in his eyes. "Besides, you should get that thought out of your pretty, little head Cuddles, cause it's not gonna happen."

"What thought?" she asked, not understanding what exactly he was referring to.

"The idea of you leaving this bed anytime in the near future. I'm planning on having my wicked way with you all day." he told her in a husky voice, which made a shiver run down her spine.

"Oh really?" she asked seductively.

"Mmmh, really." he answered, mimicking her tone. House then drew her on top of him, pulling her close to his chest to make sure she felt his excitement pressing against her abdomen.

"Hmm, seems like someone is up for some fun." she smirked, emphasizing the 'up'.

House smirked right back at her before he enveloped her lips in a passionate kiss. Soon enough clothes were discarded and their naked bodies were once again moving in unison. Cuddy reached her climax first, followed closely by House. Each of them whispering the others name while letting the pleasure overtake them. After having recovered they laid on the bed, enjoying the silence and each other's presence.

Soon enough their peace was disturbed by the buzzing of House's cell phone on his night stand. He groaned, but didn't make any move to pick it up.

"Aren't you going to take that?" she asked him, lifting her head off his chest to look at him.

"Nah, don't feel like it."

"House, it could be important. Maybe it's the hospital. You should answer."

"Fine." he muttered before he reached for the blaring device. Without even looking at the caller ID, he barked: "What?"

"House!" was all Wilson could say before he got interrupted.

"Why Jimmy Boy, to what do I owe the honor of receiving such an early morning call from you?" House asked sarcastically.

"House, I just got a call from Cuddy's mom, telling me the wedding is off!" House had to try very hard not to laugh at Wilson's frantic voice.

"What? Now that's horrible news! Did the boy toy get cold feet? Couldn't handle the thought of having to spend the rest of his live with the she-devil? Well, you can't really blame him, can you?" This got him a slap on his chest from Cuddy who fixed her most intense glare on him. He just smirked back at her.

"Don't play dumb House! She told me you had something to do with it! What have you done this time?"

"Why, why Jimmy, now you're giving me too much honor."

"Oh common House! You know Cuddy is going to hate your guts for destroying her dream, right?"

"I'm not so sure about that." he mumbled.

"What?" Wilson asked, now clearly sounding confused. House looked at Cuddy who was listening intently to their conversation. He was silently asking if she was okay with letting Wilson know about their 'situation'. She just nodded slowly at him.

"Well, why don't you ask it her yourself Wilson?" he said before he passed the phone to Cuddy.

"Hello Wilson." she greeted.

"Cuddy? What…?" he trailed off, sounding totally bewildered. Both House and Cuddy chuckled simultaneously at their friends confusion.

"I heard you wanted to ask me something?"

"Uh, yeah, but never mind. Why are you with House, what happened and the wedding and Lucas and…" Wilson started to ramble uncontrollably.

"Calm down Wilson. The wedding is cancelled, I broke things of with Lucas and I'm with House right now because we want to try if things can work between us."

"Say what?"

"You heard me, we're together now."

"Wow…WOW…just wow!"

"That's what she said!" House shouted into the receiver earning him another slap from Cuddy. "No seriously Wilson, you've anything else to say except 'wow'?"

"Well yeah, I… It's just, I can't believe this. I mean, after all these years! I had finally given up on you two ever getting over your own stubbornness and now… wow, I really can't believe it!"

"Well, feel free to hang on Jimmy, I'll prove to you it's true by letting you listen while we're doing the naughty AGAIN!" he smirked while Cuddy scolded him.

"Uhm, no thanks. I think I'm just gonna believe you on your words and leave you guys alone now."

"Okay, your loss Jimmy Boy! See ya!"

"Bye Wilson." Cuddy added.

"Bye guys and congratulations I guess."

"Yeah, yeah, enough already. I need my alone time with my lady now. Oh and Wilson, I know you like to gossip like a giddy, little girl, but I swear if anyone finds out about this, I'm gonna shove my cane up your ass and Cuddy will have your balls. Understood?" he could hear Wilson gulp and mumble a quick 'uhu' before he shut off the phone and placed it back on the nightstand.

"That went well." Cuddy said.

"Could have been worse. I just hope he got the message. Wouldn't want you to get in trouble with the board."

"And why is that? Your antics always get me in trouble with the board." She said raising an eyebrow questioningly at him.

"Ah, but you see Cuddles, things have changed now. I need to keep you as happy as possible."

"Why would that be?"

"Well you being happy will lead to more sex for me of course!" he said to her in a tone as if he were talking to a five year old. She laughed at that and gave him a quick kiss.

"See!" he said, "I think this just proved my point!"

"Oh shut up." she said, slapping him playfully on the chest.

"Mmm, I love it when you get all bossy on me woman."

She laughed again and soon things became heated between the two of them once more…

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><p>They spent the rest of the day bantering, laughing, watching television and rediscovering each other's body. House almost felt happy. He hadn't felt like this in years, wasn't even sure he had ever felt like this before. But it also scared him. One of his true believes was that happiness doesn't last. That's why he became more anxious with every minute that brought them closer to her leaving his place. Tomorrow they would go back to work and everything would be different. He just wasn't ready for the bubble they had been living in since yesterday to burst. Not yet.<p>

When she hugged him and kissed him goodnight, she could feel he was dreading her leave.

"I've really have to go pick Rachel up and head home." she said.

"I know" he answered quietly.

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing" he mumbled.

"House, talk to me please." she whispered, cupping his cheek and softly stroking the stubble on his jaw.

"I was just wondering…, never mind, you wouldn't think it's a good idea anyway." he muttered.

"What's not a good idea House? If you don't tell me, then you'll never know for sure." she said to him softly, her curiosity spiked.

"Well, I was just thinking that maybe you could go pick Rachel up and then come back here to have dinner together. Or I could come to your place if that's more convenient."

"You…, you want to meet Rachel?" Cuddy asked incredulously.

"Cuddy, despite what you still seem to think, I am serious about this. I want you, the whole package. And that package does happen to contain a small parasite, so yeah, I wanna meet her. How else are we gonna work if I don't spent time with her? She's an important part of your life and I'll have to meet her sooner or later. Might as well get over with it now."

She smiled a brilliant smile at him and felt tears welling up in her eyes. House telling her he was accepting Rachel was more than she could have dreamed of. She hugged him tightly while she said:

"Thank you , though I would like it if you could call her Rachel instead of parasite."

"Now don't expect too much of me Cuddles. I'm still the same old bastard I was before. So baby steps, okay?"

She smiled and kissed him once more. "You sure you're ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Okay then. Dinner at 7, my place."

"Yes mistress!" he smirked while he opened the door for her. Watching her leave, he was glad he would be able to spend some more time with her tonight.

**That's it for now. I know it's a bit short, but I felt like I had to end it here. Up next: Rachel and House meet. How will that go?  
><strong>

P.S.: Reviews are love!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm back! This one was written at 4 am while I was high on Red Bull so if some things don't make sense, you know why. I did gave it a quick read through though before I published it so it should be ok. I promised a couple of chapters ago that there would be some drama. That time has arrived now, so buckle up! Also, I'm not a doctor nor am I studying to become one. I did some research but know that mistakes are possible and I apologize in advance for them. Oh, and for story's sake I decided that Rachel is around three years old here. R&R plz!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own, they're David Shore's and Fox's property. I'm just borrowing them.**

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><p><span>Chapter 8<span>

House arrived on his bike at Cuddy's place at 10 past 7. He limped over to her doorstep and knocked once with his cane. Cuddy swung the door open almost immediately after she heard the sound of wood knocking on wood.

"You're late, as usual." she said with a stern look on her face.

House just smirked. "Some things will never changes Cuddles."

She stepped aside to let him in and he closed the door behind him. He took of his jacket and handed it over to her so she could hang it aside. While she was doing this House took his time to observe her more closely. He couldn't help but notice that she seemed a bit tense and he was pretty sure something was off. He grabbed her arm lightly and turned her around so she was facing him.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..It's just.." she trailed of, not looking at him.

This only confirmed his suspicion and he pressed a little further.

"Just what?"

"Oh nothing really, just…never mind." she said, still not looking at him. House put his hand under her chin to make her look into his eyes. He could see something was definitely wrong.

"Cuddy, don't you think it's a little bit hypocrite of you that you want me to talk to you if you can't open up to me about your problems? Now come on, what's bugging that overly worried mind of yours?"

She sighed once before she said: "It's Rachel. When I went over to my mum's place she told me she's been restless all day and had to vomit and now she's complaining about a headache. It's probably nothing serious, but I can't help to be worried."

After hearing this, House relaxed a bit. The kid was just coming down with a cold. Nothing bad. Cuddy was just one of those anal parents that always thought the worst. He didn't want to tell her that though, cause he knew she would be upset if he did. So he just asked her: "Well why didn't you tell me this immediately? It's not that bad."

"Are you serious? I expected you to mock me, call me one of those stupid overly worried parents, tell me that I really had forgotten how to be a doctor since I can't separate a simple cold from anything serious and stuff like that. You know, I just thought you'd be your usual jerky self."

He couldn't help the little smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth. This woman really knew him. "Well, I won't deny that that's what I am thinking, but if you want I can take a quick look at her if it'll make you feel better."

Cuddy's eyes widened at that. This was totally not what she expected. "You'd do that for me?"

"Yeah, everything to raise my chances of getting sex with you." he deflected in his usual way, not wanting to show that he did actually care about the little girl and wanted to look himself if she was okay.

"Do I even wanna know how your twisted mind can make this about sex?" she asked him exasperatedly.

"Oh it's so obvious Cuddles. If you're worried about the kid, you won't do the nasty with me. If on the other hand the best doctor in the world tells you your precious little spawn is fine, you'll be extremely relieved and happy and you'll want to thank said doctor for his services." he smirked.

"Right, how could I have not thought about that." she told him sarcastically.

"That's what I'm saying woman! Now where's the kid?"

"RACHEL is in her crib. Just follow me."

"Yes mistress." he smirked once again.

Cuddy turned around and made her way to Rachel's bedroom with House following closely behind her. They entered the room and he immediately made his way over to the white crib in the right corner of the room.

"Now let's make sure you're okay you little monkey, so your mom can stop worrying."

Cuddy rolled her eyes at him but let him do his work. She just wanted him to tell that her daughter was fine and she was just one of those stupid worried parents. She watched while House assessed Rachel quickly. When he put a hand on her forehead she could see him frowning a bit.

"What is it?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.

"Seems like she's having a fever."

"I'll go get a thermometer." she said and quickly made her way out of the room.

House took Rachel out of her crib and put her on the floor. The little girl squirmed a little in his hands, but she manly looked drowsy. The little girl noticed the strange man who was holding her and looked at him with questioning eyes. When he sat her down on the floor she asked him:

"Who's you?"

"I'm House." he answered reluctantly. He had really hoped she wouldn't talk to him, especially now that Cuddy was out of the room. He was feeling really uncomfortable alone with the kid.

The little girl just giggled a bit and said.

"Yous silly. Yous no house."

"No, my name is House." he said in the tone one uses to talk to a kid. Great, he thought, now she's gonna start the whole questioning thing.

She just giggled some more with a pained expression on her little, chubby face.

"Why you here?"

"I was here to have dinner with you and your mummy. But now I am taking a look at you to see if you're fine so your anal mum can stop worrying about her precious, little baby and thank the good old doctor for his services."

Rachel clearly didn't understand a thing he had said and just chuckled some more before her eyelids started to close again.

"Now Rachel," he said, trying to catch her attention. When she opened her eyes again he continued: "I will need you to walk over to me when I tell you to, okay?"

"Why?"

House was getting tired of the whole 'who-what-why' questioning thing. He heaved a sigh and wondered how he could make her do this.

"Look kid, you're sick and I need to look what's wrong with you. For me to do that I need you to get up and walk to me, okay?" There was clearly an annoyed tone in his voice, but Rachel didn't seem to notice it. She just smiled tiredly at him and said:

"Kay."

Then House stood up from the floor and grabbed his cane. He walked over to the other side of the room and when he turned around, he found the little girl staring at him intently.

"Hows?"

"Yeah?" he answered tiredly, thinking he would have to explain the whole thing again because she hadn't understood it.

"Why you walking funny?"

Great, he thought. Now the kid had to ask him about his leg. It's not like he wasn't feeling uncomfortable enough already. How the hell would he explain his infarction to a three year old?

"Because my leg hurts. Always." he answered simply, hoping she would just drop the subject.

At that Rachel drew her eyebrows together. She was clearly trying to understand what he was saying to her.

"That why you need the stick?" she asked, pointing to his cane.

"Yep. And it's called a cane by the way, not a stick. Chicks dig it."

"Oh." she simply answered. Then the little girl stood up and made her way over to him. He totally forgot if he had noticed a gait in her step because he was paralyzed by Rachel's next move. When she reached him, she placed her hand on the giant gape, where his thigh muscle used to be. She lightly stroked over it and placed a feather light kiss on his scar.

"Better now?"

House couldn't start to explain what this unadulterated act of kindness and compassion did to him if anyone would ask. This little girl accepted him for who he was. She didn't care about his disability, she just wanted him to stop hurting. For once in his life Gregory House was rendered speechless.

Cuddy stood at the doorway of Rachel's room watching the scene in front of her with tears in her eyes. She could see that House was really touched by Rachel's actions and she didn't want to interrupt their little bonding moment.

When House had regained his composure after Rachel's actions he noticed the girl couldn't really look up at him even though she was clearly trying to. This alarmed the doctor in him and he quickly sat down again to examine her further. When he tried to bring her head to her chest, he noticed the little girl had difficulty with this and was obviously in pain.

Cuddy saw House's face contort when he discovered the new symptom. Quickly forgetting about watching the bonding between her daughter and the man she entered the room and asked:

"What's wrong?"

"Stiff neck. I'm afraid I was wrong. This looks like it's more than just a common cold or the flue. Seems like you're not one of those overly worried parents after all." he said, with some evident worry in his voice now as well.

"Stiff neck, fever, vomiting… are you thinking meningitis?"

"Yep. I think you should bring her to the hospital to check her out completely. Our precious bonding moments can wait."

"Okay, but I want you to look at her."

"What? No, Cuddy. We can't risk people seeing us come in together! It's just meningitis, every doctor can test for it and threat her."

"No House. I want you. I only want the best for my daughter and right now that's you. You're the best doctor in the hospital. I don't care about people finding out about us. I only want my daughter to get better. Don't you get that? Besides, are you 100% positive this is meningitis?"

"Oh come on Cuddy! I am not gonna call my team in for this. This is textbook meningitis! Even you should know that!" he said to her, clearly aggravated. She couldn't really be serious about this, right?

"And what exactly do you mean by that? You gonna start the whole 'you're not a real doctor anymore' thing again? Don't you think I know that? Do you even care about us?" Cuddy shouted at him. She was really upset that he didn't seem to care about her and her daughters needs at all.

"Of course I do! Why would you even ask that?" House shouted back at her.

"Well, I don't know. Maybe because you think your team's rest is more important than my daughter! And why are you so worried about people finding out about us? Are you ashamed of being with me? Is that what's it about? Cause let's be honest, if there's one of us who should want to keep this under wraps it's me! I'm gonna have to deal with the board when they find out, I'm gonna be the one that has to deal with all the staring and whispering behind my back, I'm the one that will be called a slut for braking off my engagement and consequently jumping in bed with one of my most annoying employees, it's my job who will be on the line if this all comes out and you don't even seem to care!" Cuddy was shouting hysterically now while tears started to pool in the corners of her eyes. House understood that he once again had behaved like an emotionless, egoistic bastard. Wanting to stop this before things got out of hand, he made his way towards her, all the while keeping an eye on Rachel who strangely hadn't moved at all during their fight and was just looking off in space. He put his arms around her tiny waist and hugged her closely to his chest. He stroked her hair and tried to calm her down.

"Shh, you're right. I'm sorry. I behaved like an ass again. Of course I'm not ashamed of being with you. It's gonna be all right." At first Cuddy squirmed in his arms, not wanting him to comfort her after he had made her upset, but eventually she gave in. She looked up at him with a tear stained faced.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I'm gonna take care of her. I promise. I do care about her and don't you ever dare to say again that I don't care about you. You know I do." he told her honestly.

"I'm sorry, you're right. Thank you." She said and buried her head in his chest while she hugged him more closely. Then another thought entered her mind and she looked up at him once again.

"But what's going to happen if we go in together? This is really not how I planned to let everyone know about us."

"Well, we don't necessarily have to come in together. You could go ahead and I could arrive on my bike a couple of minutes later. Then it'll look like you called me in to take a look at your precious daughter."

"And you seriously think people are going to believe that you willingly came down to take care of a child that almost certainly has meningitis?" she asked him sarcastically.

"They will if I complain all the time about how you ruined my night with a hooker. Plus I'll tell them I'm just doing it to avoid the wrath of the she-devil and a lifelong sentence of clinic duty."

This made her smile a little. "You're a genius, you know that."

"Don't you ever forget it. But we should get going now. Meningitis in a kid can be dangerous and it could be contagious so we'll have to check you out too. Are you going to be all right driving to the hospital alone?"

Cuddy marveled at House's concern for her. This is not what she expected from him. Knowing that he was right about her daughter's condition though, she didn't take much time to think about it. She nodded at him, grabbed some things for Rachel and then got ready to leave. She put Rachel in her car seat and then turned around to face House who was placing Rachel's bag in the car. She hugged him close to her once again to get the comfort she knew she would need to get to the hospital. He kissed her lightly on her forehead before she got in her car and drove away. He then made his way to his bike and also started heading to the hospital, hoping everything would turn out just fine…

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><p><strong>This was probably not what you guys expected, right? The next couple of chapters will be hard for Huddy, but I'm a sucker for happy endings so no need to worry! <strong>

P.S.: Reviews are nice and make me write faster! ;)


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